Attention!

The US Food and Drug Administration warned physicians in September about reports of suicidal thinking in some children and adolescents who are taking Strattera®, a drug used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This disorder is characterized by behavioral problems when reacting to an average situation. Its diagnosis is based on the history of displaying three types of behavior: distractibility, or inability to perform everyday tasks; inability to control impulses, or impulsivity; and restlessness, or hyperactivity.¹

Everyone will display those behaviors at times, so to classify the disorder, the behaviors must be excessive; be exhibited before the age of 7; last for at least 6 months; and cause a problem in a social environment at school, home, work, or in the marriage.¹

The public is just now learning about the drug’s dangers, but if parents had considered taking their children to a chiropractor with experience in this area, they might have been able to prevent their children’s side effects from taking Strattera.

For years, many chiropractors have used non-drug solutions to help ADHD and attention deficit disorder (ADD) patients. Frederick Carrick, DC, PhD, president of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) Council on Neurology, says treatment regimens for ADHD include interactive behavioral treatment, exercises, and manipulation of the spine after a comprehensive neurological examination.

Cindy M. Howard, a chiropractic internist and president of the ACA Council on Diagnosis and Internal Disorders, uses methods such as chiropractic manipulative therapy, food-allergy testing, stool testing, candida testing, nutritional analysis through blood work, thyroid testing, heavy-metal testing, amino acid testing, and hormonal testing.

At the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic, Robert J. Melillo, DC, DABCN, has a scheduled presentation titled, “Diagnosis and Treatment of ADHD, Autism, Learning Disabilities, and Other Neurobehavioral Disorders of Childhood.” Melillo is executive director of the Carrick Institute for Clinical Ergonomics, Rehabilitation, and Applied Neuroscience. Part 1 of the presentation took place in October, and Part 2 is scheduled for December 2–4.

Bobby Doscher, DC, president and CEO of Oklahaven Children’s Chiropractic Center in Oklahoma City, says that although the labels have changed for these children over the years—from “retarded” and “handicapped” in the past, to “learning disabled” or “ADHD” today—the hidden causes of these problems have not changed.

“It is now time to stand up for the chiropractic premise of the subluxation caused by stress, trauma, and toxins in our children’s modern lifestyles,” Doscher says. “Chiropractic helps children by returning the life force within the children to balance their sensory perceptions, leaving their labels behind and growing into their optimal health.”

So, if you become aware of a child who is exhibiting behavioral problems, inform the child’s parents that chiropractic might be a viable option. CP

Daryl Lubinsky
dlubinsky@ascendmedia.com

Reference
1. Schetchikova, NV. Children with ADHD Medical vs. Chiropractic, Perspective and Theory: Part 1. JACA. 2002;39(7):28–37.